It won’t take long for the U.S. Women to have their first real test of the Tom Sermanni era. During their four games, the U.S. is unlikely to face a team ranked lower than 17th in the world.

That’s the nature of the Algarve Cup, a tournament that will provide the U.S. with their best competition of 2013. Starting with Iceland today at 9.a.m. Eastern, the U.S. will face the 15th, 17th (China) and sixth (Sweden) ranked teams in the world. Get through that unscathed, and the U.S. could face Germany or Japan in the tournament’s knockout round.

And of course, that match against Sweden will feature a meeting with the team’s old coach, Pia Sundhage. The women who led the U.S. to gold in Beijing and London is now coaching her home country’s national team.

For the U.S., the Algarve Cup is a huge step up in competition from the team’s winter friendlies against Scotland, but it’s one the team has dominated in recent years. The States have won seven of the last 10 tournaments, and only a group stage loss to Japan in last year’s competition prevented the team from making their 10th straight final.

But that loss, the only one the U.S. suffered in 2012, serves as an admonition. Whereas in previous years the U.S. would arrive in Portugal as heavy favorites, now they’re one of a handful of teams that could win this tournament. Both Germany (last year’s winner) and Japan would take the title, while Sweden is also capable of knocking off one of the big three.

With a few exceptions, Sermanni’s best team is in Portugal. While Hope Solo missed the trip with a wrist injury and Amys LePeilbet (knee) and Rodriguez (pregnancy) are long term absences, 10 of Sermanni’s starting XI could be filled with first choice options. Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan lead the attack, Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe will be featured in midfield, while captain Christie Rampone anchors the defense.

Results are always important, but the real story of this year’s tournament will be the time Sermanni gives new faces. As Christen Press showed in the first game against Scotland, the United States has a number of talents would could potentially contribute to the senior squad. Players like Press, North Carolina defender Crystal Dunn, and Liverpool Ladies’ defender Whitney Engen have opportunities to win regular roles in the team. Four games in eight days will give Sermanni a change to evaluate his full squad.

Among the more intriguing names in that squad are Lindsey Horan and Kristie Mewis (pictured, with Canberra United).

Horan is an 18-year-old who bypassed college to play in France. At Paris Saint-Germain she has seen early success, scoring 11 times in her 15 Division Feminine appearances. Called in for the Algarve Cup, the Golden, Colorado native is in line for her first senior national team cap.

Mewis is a 22-year-old attacking midfielder who just completed four stand-out years at Boston College. Set to begin her professional career in earnest with FC Kansas City (she spent a short time in Australia this January), Mewis has had prolonged success at U.S. U-levels as both a creator and goal scorer. Having received her first cap on Feb. 9, Mewis may be primed for a bigger role provided she can craft a niche among the team’s array attacking options.

Older players may also be looking at this year’s Cup as an opportunity to break through. Goalkeeper Jill Loyden will have a chance to cement herself as Hope Solo’s number two, while Ashlyn Harris could get her first cap. Becky Sauerbrunn is competing for a starting spot in defense, and Yael Averbuch (17 caps since 2008) will continue to get chances to reestablish herself in the squad.

The U.S. always expects to win the Algarve Cup, but with a series of new faces vying for roles in the team, this may be a rare occasion where individual performances prove more important than team results. Of course, if those individual performances contribute to wins, they’ll look all the more impressive.

Here is Sermanni’s Algarve Cup squad. Matches are available live on pay-per-view or tape delayed on FOX Soccer.

“Arsenal, as a team, look in good shape and whilst we have a lot of confidence, given their form too, it isn’t a good time to play them.

“At times, Arsenal have struggled with consistency, and it has cost them, but you sense this could be their year. It’s important for us to give ourselves an opportunity to get something out of the game, we need to stay in the match and frustrate them.”

This week’s match with Arsenal kicks off a four-week run that goes Arsenal, Saints, Leicester, Liverpool, Chelsea.

Nicolas Loderio is getting set to play in the MLS Cup finals, something that only came to pass with a team visit to the United States, and the assistance of Luis Suarez.

According to Seattle Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey, he spoke with Lodeiro often in his attempts to bring the 27-year-old from Boca Juniors to Major League Soccer. The moment that swayed him was a trip to the US. A business trip.

With Uruguay competing in the Copa America Centenario, it allowed the two to speak more frequently, but when the Uruguayan became frustrated with his own handle of the native language, a friend stepped in to help. He asked national teammate Suarez to help translate, and thus the transfer came to pass.

“You don’t have body language, it’s harder than it is straight to the face and so he just got frustrated that he couldn’t understand everything that I’m saying,” Lagerwey told MLSSoccer.com’s radio show. “And so he says, ‘Hold on, speak to my friend,’ and I said, ‘OK,’ and I have no idea what’s happening. And Luis Suarez gets on and says, ‘Hi, this is Luis Suarez, how are you?’ And I’m like, ‘Morning, Mr. Suarez, how are you?’ And he was our translator.”

Lodiero has been a revelation for the Sounders since joining in the summer. A creative force all season, the Uruguayan has scored four goals in five playoff matches, bursting onto the national scene on the biggest stage.

“It was just funny. Nico and I, we talked fairly regularly during the process, in part because it took four months for the thing to play out,” “And he was in the US for the Copa America with Uruguay, obviously, and in hindsight that ended up being a big deciding factor for him, because he brought his wife and his little son and they got to see America and I think liked it and developed a comfort level with it. And I think that’s what ultimately pushed them to make the leap, but I was talking and Nico’s English is actually pretty, pretty good, but he isn’t always so comfortable on the phone.”

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Zinedine Zidane is one match away from coaching Real Madrid to a new unbeaten record.

When Zidane replaced Rafa Benitez midway through last season, the inexperienced former midfield standout got off to an auspicious start with a 5-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

Eleven months and one Champions League title later, Madrid faces Deportivo again at home on Saturday with the chance of surpassing its longest unbeaten run since the club was founded in 1902.

On Wednesday, Madrid equaled a club record of 34 games without a loss set in 1989 under coach Leo Beenhakker when it drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund.

“It’s important to continue to make history and continue our good run,” Zidane said after the match. “I don’t think it’s very important for me to leave my mark. What interests me the most is to continue with this great run that we’re on.”

Last season, when Real Madrid president Florentino Perez tapped Zidane to take over a struggling team, the decision smelled of desperation.

A fan favorite from his playing days as part of Madrid’s “galaticos” bunch, Zidane was promoted from coaching the reserve team to take over a side that was lurching from one embarrassing episode to the next.

Madrid’s 2015-16 campaign had started with Perez flubbing his play to sign away Manchester United goalie David De Gea. The team was then disqualified from the Copa de Rey for fielding an illegible player, and it endured a 4-0 defeat from Barcelona at home as it failed to click with Benitez.

Perez needed to make an impact move. But instead of searching for a veteran manager, he charged the unproven Zidane with turning around Madrid’s group of talented underachievers.

At first, the team remained erratic, and even looked set to bow out of the Champions League after a shocking 2-0 loss at German side Wolfsburg.

But that defeat on April 6 proved to be a catalyst. The team hasn’t lost since, recovering to claim its 11th European Cup and almost nip Barcelona for the Spanish league crown, before roaring out to lead la Liga this season.

Zidane, whose top-tier coaching experience had been limited to his stint as an assistant under Carlo Ancelotti, has now reached the half-century mark as head manager. During that 50-match period, he has overseen 37 wins, 11 draws and only two losses. That other loss came at Atletico Madrid in February.

“The players have to be congratulated. They’re the ones out on the pitch, it’s them who run, fight and dig in,” Zidane said. “We also have to thank the fans, who always get behind the team and support us. They’ve got to take some credit for what the team is achieving”.

Gifted with world-class stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, Zidane focused on getting more from Madrid’s supporting cast. He put a new emphasis on defense in his midfield by favoring Mateo Kovacic and Casemiro over flashier playmakers James Rodriguez and Francisco “Isco” Alarcon, and he has helped the little-known Lucas Vazquez blossom into an important piece of its attack.

“(Zidane) has gotten us to work hard and for things to go well for us, and that is paying off with this run of 34 unbeaten games,” defender Dani Carvajal said. “Everyone on the team has words of praise for him.”

Whereas the draw with Dortmund was disappointing because it cost Madrid a first-place finish in its Champions League group, its 1-1 stalemate earned last weekend at Barcelona tasted of victory. The “clasico” draw kept Madrid six points clear of Barcelona at the top of the Spanish table.

After it plays Deportivo, Madrid heads to Japan for the Club World Cup.

If Zidane sets the new club mark, his next goal would be the milestone held by Barcelona under counterpart Luis Enrique, whose 39-game unbeaten run was ended by Madrid last April.